The jury trial against Lord Tu'ivakano on offences relating to the issuance of Tongan passports continues in its fourth week, with the defence opening its case today, submitting insufficient evidence against the accused.

Soane Patita Toutai’olepo (19) was sentenced to two-years imprisonment for grievous bodily harm, when he threw a rock injuring another student in a school rivalry between Tupou College and Tonga College, in 2019. The Chief Justice said it was a deterrent for future rival school violence. "It is a very great shame that the defendant must start his adult years by spending a year in prison.”

The jury trial against Lord Tu'ivakano on offences relating to the issuance of Tongan passports continues with revelations that legal advice from the then Acting Attorney General against the issuance of Tongan passports to Chinese applicants was ignored. The court was told this was despite real concerns of criminal activity.

A 16-year-old boy received a fully suspended sentence for indecently assaulting a 51-year-old woman, who was going for a run in the morning. "No member of society deserves to be set upon in broad daylight in the way in which the defendant did here,” said the Chief Justice in sentencing the offender.

The trial against Lord Tu'ivakano on offences relating to Tongan passports, heard from a Crown witness, that despite lack of concrete evidence to prove naturalisation in two passport applications, the accused still directed for their issuance.

A 31-year-old man was sentenced to three-years and six-months imprisonment for grievous bodily harm, when he stabbed a teenager in the back with a knife. The Lord Chief Justice said that sentences for any form of assault in which a knife is used to inflict harm, must include a significant component for deterrence.

Lord Tu’ivakano has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges, five of which are for acceptance of a bribe by a government servant, at the start of his jury trial, at the Supreme Court today, February 11. By Linny Folau.

The trial of former Prime Minister Lord Tu‘ivakano, who is facing multiple charges in relation to passport offences, began on Monday 10 February and a jury has been selected and sworn in at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court.

Rizvi Jurangpathy whose employment contract was terminated by Tonga Communications Corporation in 2017, was awarded $165,000 pa'anga in damages by the Lord Chief Justice, who found he was subjected to unfair treatment when he was under investigation for the allegations against him. The employer had relied on “inaccurate and inadequate” information and breached its obligations.